The Graveyard Shift

[Game Explanation]
This is a d20 Modern game, set in the near future (roughly 2-3 years, if you wish to be specific). The protagonists are members of a covert agency of the U.S. government known only as the "Graveyard Shift". The purpose of Graveyard Shift is simple: to protect America, and the world at large, from supernatural threats.The PCs are a team of the latest recruits to the organization, all of them having survived an encounter with the paranormal. Graveyard Shift has recruited them, trained them, and let them loose on the world to hunt the things that lurk in the shadows.

[Inspirations]
Everything in the spy genre ever, mixed with everything in the horror genre ever. This game is Jason Bourne the Vampire Slayer. It is Fullmoonraker, where James Bond fights lycanthrope supremacists. Okay, so that last one might be a bit out there, but that's the general idea. Espionage mixed with a heaping helping of horror.

[What is the Graveyard Shift?]
That's a very good question. What is the Graveyard Shift? There's not a whole lot of people who know much, and almost none at all who know everything about the organization. So let's start with what is known.

The Graveyard Shift, usually just called "the Shift", is allegedly a covert federal agency of the U.S government, evidently established within the last ten to twenty years, dedicated to protecting the world from supernatural threats. Few people within the government are aware of the Shift's existence; the President is not one of them. What separates the Graveyard Shift from other "black" agencies is it's almost complete and total lack of support. The agency's budget is astonishingly small, especially compared with agencies such as the CIA or FBI. Agents expecting to get a shiny new light machine gun and hundreds of bullets every mission will find themselves disappointed. In order to maintain as low a profile as possible, as well as reserve it's miniscule budget for true emergencies, the Graveyard Shift expects those in it's employ to provide as much of their own gear as possible. Agents can expect airline tickets and hotel rooms to be paid for most of the time, but that's the usual extent of the Shift's assistance.

What the Graveyard Shift does have is connections. When an agent is on an extended operation and needs to be away from their "day job", the Shift will ensure that they're given paid leave, and that nobody asks any questions. They're more than capable of ensuring that an agent's weapons and gear make it through customs unmolested...or to at least direct them to a suitable black market vendor or supply cache when this is impossible.

Agents of Graveyard shift come from every walk of life. Though individuals with current law-enforcement or intelligence experience (such as active FBI, CIA, NSA, or DEA agents) are preferred, the Shift realizes the value of having a wide array of skills and talents on a team. As such, anyone who becomes aware of the existence of the paranormal may find themselves visited by recruitment agents. Usually, prospective agents are given incentives for agreeing to join: fat paychecks, top-quality medical care for ill loved ones, or even just the chance to do America proud. Those that refuse are never again bothered, but warned to keep quiet about the existence of the Graveyard Shift. Those that fail to heed this warning often disappear, or are written off as apparent suicides. Once someone joins the Shift (jokingly referred to as "clocking in"), they're given training on-par with the CIA in a field of their choice, and a small tattoo on the webbing of the right hand, between the forefinger and thumb. The tattoo, a small tombstone, is made with ink that reacts with concentrated UV light; this allows Shift agents to recognize each other.

In terms of the supernatural, the Graveyard Shift knows very little. This is something they're attempting to rectify.

[Character Creation Guidelines]

These will also be posted in the game forum for your convenience.

Level: 4 (That training comes in handy, after all)Hit Points: MaxAction Points: Last level only.Ability Generation: 40 Point Buy.Wealth: As normal. Graveyard Shift expects it's agents to be able to supply their own gear and expenses, so as to limit the amount of potential security breaches. That being said, the Shift will cover expenses occasionally, and will also supply agents with specialized gear if the situation calls for it.Books: d20 Modern Core, Urban Arcana (Some feats and gear. Advanced classes require GM approval.) Citations may be asked for; be prepared to give book and page number.Restrictions: No Psionics. No Magic. No Cybernetics. No Mutations. (Given these last two aren't even in any of the allowed books...)

I would like all character applications to be made in this thread. All applications are required to have a finished sheet attached, along with sections on your character's appearance, personality, and backstory. While the latter two sections may, at your discretion, be in private tags, I am requiring a 500 word minimum for your character's backstory, and a 200 word minimum for both the appearance and personality sections. While you may feel free to add a picture of your character to your application, this is not a substitute for the 200-word minimum requirement for that section. This is a text-based medium we'll be roleplaying in, and I need to know that you can actually write. Finally, all characters must mention, in their backstory, what their first exposure to the supernatural was and how they came to be recruited by Graveyard Shift.

I will be accepting applications based on proper spelling and grammar, your previous track record here on Mythweavers, and how well your character fits into both the tone of the campaign and the group as a whole. It is, for example, unlikely that I will accept two characters who's core concept is being the group's "hacker". It is even more unlikely that I'll accept a character who is a carbon copy of a given protagonist from an action movie. That's not to say that I won't be accepting ANY such characters, simply that they'd better be exceptionally well-written and have an impressive application.

I will be accepting five applications. This thread will close on September 15th, or whenever I feel as though I can confidently make a decision about who to invite. Whichever comes first.

Game Description:

The safety of the world rests upon the edge of a knife. In the shadows of the modern era, creatures of nightmare stir and ancient conspiracies plot. Every day and every night, the free world is threatened the machinations of the inhuman, the occult, the monstrous. Every night is one of peril and danger, were success, much less simple survival, is not always guaranteed.

Just another night on the job for the agents of the Graveyard Shift.

__________________"If the enemy isn't taking all of the bullets, I'm not doing it right." -Aiden

Are you wanting us to roll for Wealth, and if so where, or do we get max starting wealth? Furthermore, are you going to allow us to roll the three profession checks we would have gotten for leveling up to 2nd,3rd and 4th level to attempt to increase our Wealth as well, and, if so, where do the rolls go?

Are you wanting us to roll for Wealth, and if so where, or do we get max starting wealth? Furthermore, are you going to allow us to roll the three profession checks we would have gotten for leveling up to 2nd,3rd and 4th level to attempt to increase our Wealth as well, and, if so, where do the rolls go?

Excellent questions, and ones that slipped my mind entirely last night. This is why I shouldn't be making game ads at one in the morning.

I'll have a thread up in the game forum to roll for Wealth and the Profession checks at 2nd, 3rd, and 4th levels.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaeso

Question: the protagonists work for an US covert organisation. Does this mean that:
a) They work for the US government
b) They simply have their base of operations in the US

Also, how does this awnser influence the team composition? Can only American state citizens join this group, or can we also expect French Canadians, Scotsmen, Poles and Italians in this group?

Members of the Graveyard Shift are American citizens, yes. However, there's nothing preventing a naturalized French Canadian, Scotsman, Pole or Italian from being recruited. Generally, so long as you're a citizen, and you've survived an encounter with the supernatural, you're a candidate for recruitment.

The Shift assumes that other nations have similar programs, but they've yet to find any proof.

Ah, so to our characters knowledge, supernatural problems have only been confirmed in America for now. It's a shame we won't have a cool, international task force then. Nevertheless, I'm very interested in this and I will apply.

Ah, so to our characters knowledge, supernatural problems have only been confirmed in America for now. It's a shame we won't have a cool, international task force then. Nevertheless, I'm very interested in this and I will apply.

International task force, no.

Awesome globe-trotting adventures? Yes. Because really, we can't have an espionage-themed game if we don't go global. It's one of the unwritten rules of the genre. ;D

To what extent will diplomacy play a role? I'm thinking about making a Charismatic hero, a lawyer from New Brunswick (ie. somebody with knowledge of both the common law and civil law systems (and the French language)) that moved to....Maine I guess. This character would be pretty useless if most of the game consists of gunning down zombies.

To what extent will diplomacy play a role? I'm thinking about making a Charismatic hero, a lawyer from New Brunswick (ie. somebody with knowledge of both the common law and civil law systems (and the French language)) that moved to....Maine I guess. This character would be pretty useless if most of the game consists of gunning down zombies.

I'm looking to strike a nice balance between action and interaction. While there will be parts of the game that do involve gunning down zombies, having someone who can talk their way out of a situation as opposed to shooting their way out of it will be a definite advantage to the team.